Better Homes & Gardens is Ad Age???s Magazine of the Year. The title received a similar award from the Boca Raton Committee of Retired Grandmothers last month.
Last February, Better Homes got a new president, Andy Sareyan. At the time, he knew as much about the magazine as we do. “All I knew about Better Homes was that it was big,” he said.
A redesign this year led to increased circulation, newsstand rates and Web hits. What did they do?
CONTINUED »
With Anna Wintour taking Editor of the Year and More magazine winning Magazine of the Year at AdAge’s A-List awards ceremony at the American Magazine Conference late last month, perhaps all that hype overshadowed one interesting development: Gone from any of AdAge’s spots was Us Weekly, the tabloid that landed Bonnie Fuller the Editor of the Year award in 2004. Last year, Us Weekly was given the No. 3 spot (People took No. 1). And this year? While People remains on the list at No. 6, Us Weekly is noticeably absent — but one of its competitors is not. Coming in at No. 10 is In Touch, the surprise hit from Bauer that’s exceeded circulation expections quarter after quarter. (Us is also AWOL from Ad Week’s line up.)
Meanwhile, we’re hearing word that Janice Min’s supposed best-selling issue ever – Janet Jackson’s “How I Got Thin” from June 5, when Min was actually on maternity leave – is having its revenue grab questioned. Initially pegged to have pulled in $1.4 million in sales, that number has dropped to $1.3m, and then again to $1.2m. And its circ numbers from that issue, yet to be audited, may be revealed to be relatively flat compared to other issues’ numbers. Naturally, Wenner Media’s talking heads will deny as much.
Today’s Mediaworks column in Ad Age offers up some insight into the plus side of landing on Page Six.
Obviously, as anyone who has lived in this city for five minutes knows, the gossips are free press for clubs, liquor brands, and B-List celebs.
When the New York Post’s Page Six runs one of its punchy one-line “Sightings”-say, “Tara Reid, drinking a Grey Goose martini at Cain…”-the reaction among many readers may be something along the lines of “Wow, she sure dances on an awful lot of banquettes.” But to more business folk than who’d care to admit it, such quick-hit plugs have evolved into crucial components of branding or marketing campaigns-within and without New York City.
If the fetchingly unhinged Ms. Reid is passing the wee hours of the morning at Cain, the thinking goes, that only affirms the nightspot’s celebrity/player bona fides. If she’s daintily sipping a Grey Goose martini, that confirms the vodka’s eminence.
Somehow, in the alternate universe of advertising, Tara Reid downing Grey Goose at Cain is “good” press. Which is exactly why you will find us sipping K1 on the rocks down at Element.
The Scandal Sheet Everyone Wants to Be in [Larry Dobrow, Ad Age]
Oh, the wonder of the Super Bowl ads. We wait in anticipation for the funny frogs and crazy Clydesdales to make us laugh, or simply encourage us to drink more beer. This year, however, the funniest ads were for ABC’s upcoming sitcom Sons and Daughters. (When a little girl on TV says “we’re going to hell because we’re Jews, you can’t help but spit out a few flecks of nacho chip.)
There were a few people paying attention to the real (boring) ads this year, though. Stuart Elliott at the New York Times “gives kudos to” the SB ads, which he found “were outnumbered by spots reaching for a higher form of hilarity or trying to tug at the heartstrings.” A different tune than Bob Garfield at Ad Age is whistling, as he claims this year’s spots mark the end of modern civilization.
As for us, we were too distracted by the thought of Mick Jagger’s face sliding off to notice most of the second half commercials, but the Kermit the Frog Ad wasn’t so bad. And of course, the my-so-called life in a shampoo bottle made us all want to go hug Nicole Richie and give her some Dove soap.
That Burger King ad pretty much freaked everybody out, as did the Gillette Five Blade razor, simply because it seems like shaving your face with a lawnmower might be safer. In the end, ABC’s ads for its own shows were the definite winners.
Shaquille O’Neal turning over his shoulder, one tear streaming down his face, going “I can’t believe Gabby lost her baby,” was so much more hilarious than that stupid streaking sheep.
BOB GARFIELD REVIEWS THE SUPER BOWL ADS [Bob Garfield, Ad Age]
Lifting Super Bowl Ads Above the Lowbrow Level [Stuart Elliott, New York Times]
There is nothing we love more than looking back on the year and laughing at all the dumbass things that happened in this crazy industry of ours. (Dont fret, of course we will be handing out our very own “Jossy” awards next week.) Until then, though, you will be forced to laugh at other people’s category round-ups, such as today’s: media meltdowns and headline disasters. Some were pretty major, which makes today seem like just another blip on the bad shit that happens in New York radar.
We were so hoping that the “major media meltdowns” included a summary of the catfights and bad hair days that occured in the Conde cafe. We weren’t so lucky on that one, but the very un-OC meltdowns are still worth a chuckle. And really, who would’ve thought that getting high in Iraq just wasn’t the same as pulling bongs in your boyfriend’s basement?
We figured that since you are all living in your greatest nightmare right now, maybe you could use the laugh.
They Paid Me To Read This Stuff [Peter Carlson, WaPo]
MEDIA GUY FONDLY LOOKS BACK AT 2005 [Simon Dumenco, Ad Age]
While we unwrap our wonderful holiday gifts of un-laced brownies, AdAge is busy complaining about the freakin’ awesome ipods that Rainbow Networks sent them. WTF? How do we get on Rainbow Networks’ holiday list?
HOLIDAY SWAG WATCH: DAY TWO [Ann Marie Kerwin, Ad Age]
Earlier: SELF is sending cookies?